San Francisco

I realised i haven't really talked about San Francisco, the city itself. Just as well since i did quite a bit of exploring today.

I really like San Francisco. It feels really peaceful and quiet. Modern but with splashes of retro in between.

The one thing i'm a bit put off about is that the road gets pretty dark at night. I walk a lot in general so it feels a bit scary. And not many people walk in general... i suspect they mostly drive since it's a pretty big city.

I guess it's pretty common in the US but it was my first time experiencing the grid system. I do feel that it makes understanding the locations much easier and the public transport is pretty organized too. I used the Muni a lot. It took a bit of getting used to but after a while it is pretty straight forward especially because of the grid system. No turning at obscure roads. Stops after every junction or two.

The locals are nice too. There was this girl who helped me out on my first Muni ride. I generally don't see any angry or racist locals so that's awesome. Although it sure comes with having a large Asian population.

I guess the feeling of the city is pretty similar to Manchester... quiet... peaceful.

Food is generally reasonably priced for me, coming from a pretty strong currency though so i don't speak for everybody. And i didn't eat anything extravagant anyways. There sure is plenty to choose from so no worries.

The cable car ride was something. It was so fun! I didn't get the most ideal seat... but at least i got to sit outside, which is where all the fun is, really. Getting windswept, nice view, looking at the people walking or driving, buildings. And San Francisco is really hilly too, so it was so fun when the cable car hits the down slope.

Shopping is awesome this time of year. They slash the price left and right. I got a good set of suits for 50 bucks!!! And i got 2 so my 13-something kg luggage is now a lot heavier. There are a lot of winter clothes but if you search enough there are plenty of summer-worthy clothes too, and they're usually on sale. Yay. I love Macy's!

The weather is pretty crazy though. Some days i got clear blue skies throughout, some days it is so foggy you can't see anything. I was lucky that both my Alcatraz and Yosemite days were excellent.

There are a lot of dogs here and the owners love to take them for a walk. I went to Lafayette park and saw a lot of these, playing catch etc.

And surprisingly, not many people smoke! I am very surprised indeed. Especially during winter i thought a lot of people smoke for the heat... although i guess drinking is more effective for that.

I went to Japantown too and it was so fun. I went a bit early so there weren't that many people yet but it got more in the afternoon. Lots of food, gift shops, snacks... and kinokuniya. And i saw a whole section on yaoi stuff @_@ that was sooo awesome!

I didn't buy any to save kgs and space although i was SO tempted, seriously. There were these two girls who were like ewww-ing as they approached the yaoi section and it was so funny because i was hovering there for a bit.

All in all, i really loved it here. It has been a really good 4.5 days. Thanks San Francisco!